Jones, 3-pointers key top-seeded Stanford over Oklahoma State
SAN ANTONIO — The Stanford Cardinal keep making 3-pointers, and the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament booked yet another trip to the Sweet 16.
Haley Jones scored 17 points and Stanford unleased another long-range barrage with 13 3-pointers to outlast No. 8 Oklahoma State 73-62 on Tuesday night.
The scoring wave came after Stanford made 15 3-pointers in the opening round of the tournament in Texas, where the Cardinal advance to their 27th Sweet 16 overall in pursuit of a third national championship. Stanford hasn’t won it all since 1992.
The outcome may seem typical, but it finished a little closer than Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer would have liked after the Cardinal opened up a 20point lead in the third quarter. And those 3-pointers covered up mistakes like 16 turnovers, missed layups and poor shooting over the final minutes.
“This is a tough game. I think that’s good. I think it’s good to have tough games,” VanDerveer said. “I’m excited about the win, I’m excited about moving on and we know that we have to play better.”
The Cardinal advance to play the winner of today’s matchup between No. 5 Missouri State and No. 13 Wright
State in the Alamo Region.
Stanford (27-2) had four players score in double figures and all five starters made at least one 3-pointer. Neferatali Notoa scored 14 for Oklahoma State (19-9).
“They’ve got people that can shoot the basketball,” Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell said. “They stepped up and hit shots and were good when they needed to be. Every time we did make a run, they had somebody that made a play.”